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Source: splitshire.com

George Burns once said, “If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn't ask me, I'd still have to say it.” Maybe millennials would listen to Burns’ advice, if it were only that simple to execute.

This April marks the 24th anniversary of Stress Awareness Month and it’s no secret that the millennial age group, in particular, reports higher stress levels than any other generation and they appear to be having a difficult time coping with it.

But 2016 proves to be a different year for millennials. Unlike years prior, they now have four new key factors contributing to their higher stress levels:

They’re moving into their prime spending years and they’re making major purchasing decisions For over half of millennials, just paying for essentials is a source of stress. The first millennials (born in 1980) just reached their peak buying power, and younger millennials still intend to purchase homes and cars. These major financial decisions are no doubt a factor in their growing stress.

They’re entering their prime working years and moving up Just three years ago 76% of millennials indicated work was a significant stressor in their lives, and as the oldest members of the generation become members of management teams and secure director level positions, the pressure to perform and lead their peers has increased.

They’re thinking about their marriage, even if they’re not married yet23 percent of millennials are currently married, and 70% want to be. For millennials in long term relationships, family, financial and other relationship issues can circumstantially lead to tension and stress.

They’re Moms and Dads or are planning to be30 percent of millennials have kids, and 74% want to have children. As author and former Wall Street Journal editor Ron Alsop declared, the “Trophy Kids” have grown up. As parents, Millennials bend over backwards to perfectly parent, anticipating not only the needs, but also granting the wants of their offspring, Generation Alpha.

But stress is not a new stimulus reaction invented 36 years ago, at the start of the millennial generation. Other generations experience and battle these same life events. Millennials are simply more cognizant of stress and its impact on one’s physical and mental health. Not surprisingly, the generation’s formula for combating stress personifies their collective characteristics: unconventional, radical and (it’s also their favorite word) throwback.

More millennials have adopted an inclusive, two pronged approach to coping. First by calming their physical equilibrium via cutting edge technology claiming to provide instant results, while soothing their mental equilibrium via an increased consumption of ancient herbs and botanicals for natural results.

According to the American Psychological Association, millennials rely on more sedentary stress management techniques than other generations. Given their fluency and comfort with technology, it’s not surprising that millennials are turning to less active solutions such as gadgets to cope with stress. They have a more positive view of how technology affects their lives than any other generation, and more than 74% feel new technology makes their lives easier. Expect gadgets like Boon, an aromatherapy diffuser, PediGlide, a small peddling exercise machine, and the Simon Schamm Stress Ball, which determines stress levels, to gain mainstream popularity as millennials look for technology that claims to reduce stress levels.

While the millennial formula for combatting stress may not seem revolutionary to other generations, it is indisputably healthier than other stress management techniques, such as smoking or drinking alcohol. Despite being more stressed than other generations, millennials, with their optimism and heavy influence on consumer behavior, will help usher in less harmful stress relieving habits for existing and the generations after them.

Follow me on Twitter for the professional perspective of a Black millennial woman.